As a team
by Kannaneq
Summary: TC fic. Characters from the entire franchise meet up in one-shots centered around two or more characters. Requests are welcome, and critics are more than appreciated!
1. Introduction

Hahahah.  
Hello there!

So, I'm not the kind of person who likes to write fanfictions since I usually 1) fail at making the characters act in character and 2) I just don't like that.  
However, I do like writing stories, and I'll go as far as to say I consider myself pretty good. At writing in french, that is. I wanted to practice writing stories in different styles, and I decided that I could help my english a bit at the same time. Because, you see, I simply SUCK in english, my syntax is all wonky and I usually do a lot of errors no matter how much I check.

Anyways. I decided to come here since I know there's a lot of people who could help me by giving critics (go go go, I don't mind them, I LOVE them!).  
Finally, what made me choose Trauma Team, of all I could choose, is the fact that the characters don't have some retarded super powers and weird ass abilities. They're human, normal, they have a live and I find them inspirational, as well as how they visibly evolve through the story.

When I realised there were six characters and six faces on a dice, I decided to attribute a number to each character, role the dice two times and make a short story with the two characters. If the same number was to appear twice, I would use a secondary character I attribute to the principal one (for example, if I roll 6 twice, it would be a story with Naomi and Alyssa/Navel/David. Understood?)

Anyway.  
Here's the list of numbers :  
1. CR-S01 2. Maria Torres 3. Hank Freebird 4. Tomoe Tachibana 5. Gabriel Cunningham 6. Naomi Kimichima

In short : I suck, so you have to help me.  
c:  
If I like it, I might just continue doing it. Also, if I get the same pair more than once, I'll try to look at different angles on wich I could base the relation (like friendship, romance, enemy, etc).  
Lastly, the stories aren't necessarily connected together; some might be just like that, while others will relate on another chapter or event I talked about.  
And I say. Thank you in advance! c: Make me want to write more! 


	2. Girls' Night, Maria and Tomoe

**I'm kind of nervous about this, seeing it's my first time... I know my writing is wonky here, but critics will help me improve. Don't let anything out, just point out everything I need to get better at. Thanks a lot!**

**This first pair is 2 and 4, wich would be Maria Torres and Tomoe Tachibana!**

**Disclaimer : I do not own anything. 'Cept the idea :u  
**

* * *

It is common knowledge that girls are mysterious beings who can, in many cases... be subject to "changes" (occuring at night, mostly). Of these, Maria Torres and Tomoe Tachibana were no exceptions. Oh, of course, their job was making it hard to live these changes at their fullest, but when they could, they would never let the chance slip.  
Despite being full grown women, these changes would make them seem completly different. On one side, the most tomboy-ish of the two would turn to a more immature woman while the other would wander off the Path of Honor.  
They would begin during the late afternoon, and during evening, when the whole Resurgam first aid Center was almost asleep, they would begin their games. Among those, they would play a famous game we all played in our lives. Which one? Truth or dare, of course.  
They would play nonstop for the whole night, and the next day (wich was usually a day where everyone could relax... is that even possible for them, here?), a number of odd things would happen. The poor victims would obviously try to forget them, with little to no success though.  
And so, the dreaded night would begin between the two flowers of Resurgam.

* * *

It was only recently that Tomoe arrived, but Maria had immediatly taken the chance to drag her in her suspicious night activities. It hadn't been hard at all, the Japanese woman being too kind to say no. However, upon doing it for the first time, she had instantly started loving those nights and was waiting for them eargerly, her impatience growing more and more as the days between the nocturnal reunions were passing.  
These events were carefully prepared and included everything that was needed for such a thing. Movies, snacks, candles, and whatnot. To prepare for the dreaded truth or dare game, both women would write down names (guess whose) and put them in a hat.  
Finally, when the sun started disapearing behind the horizon and everyone was preparing to sleep in their room/office, the trouble would just start.

After watching a couple of movies, the girls finally decided to move on to the next part : the dreaded game. 'I start this time, Tomoe', said an over-enthusiast Maria. 'Alright, let me go take the hat', replied the Tachibana heiress.

'You know, I must say that last time, your idea of dying pink the big guy's smock was pretty fun! Poor him, couldn't borrow any because of his big size, hah!', added the EMT worker. 'Never underestimate people from the Tachibana clan! Here, pick a name, and here's the list of already picked out names.'  
Here was the list of the victims who had the "chance" of being picked :

_-Maria [x,x]_  
_-Tomoe [x]_  
_-Hank [x,x,x]_  
_-CR-S01 [x,x]_  
_-Gabriel [x]_  
_-Esha [x]_  
_(-you [x10000])_

Needless to say, the poor orthopedics surgeon was the one who was the most picked by the two women, and every time, it seemed worse than the previous. They felt bad about saying it, but the man was so... kind and naive, almost, that it seemed easy to pull something on him and get away with it. But anyways.  
'Truth or dare?' asked the orphan._ There is no way I will refuse a challenge! _

'I pick dare, of course' replied the Asian. 'Alright. I'll pick a name, and we'll see what you'll do to them...'. The woman picked a piece of paper from the hat. She couldn't suppress a laugh when she read the name, and tons of ideas were running through her head. She indeed picked the diagnostician and was more than happy to do so. She was searching for something that would 1) get her a sweet revenge, 2) make her laugh, 3) give her something to make fun of him and 4) she just wanted to embarass the other girl. It was like killing two birds with a stone.  
'Seeing you, I guess you picked Gabriel?', 'That moron is not even going to know what fell on him!' said the dark skinned woman. 'What? What do I have to do, tell me!'.  
'You know what is "body chicken", right?' '...Um, no. What is it?' Maria leaned forward and whispered in Tomoe's ear. The latter quickly brought a hand to her mouth and gasped.  
'W-wait, are you sure it's o-okay to do th-that?' asked the dared worriedly. 'Of course it is. Now shut up and follow me, we'll get to his office!'.

After sneaking quietly in the corridors, they finally arrived in front of Gabriel's office door.  
'There we are. Now go inside and do it!' quickly whispered Maria. 'Wait! What about RONI?' asked Tomoe, who was trying to win a bit of time. 'Oh come on. It's not his guard dog, it probably won't do anything. Now do it!'.  
The Japanese sighed and using her super ninja skills, quickly entered the room, followed by the other woman. As expected, RONI kept its (her?) mouth shut and completly ignored the intruders.  
Gabriel was sleeping on the couch near the door, completly oblivious to what was happening around. He was mumbling in his sleep, probably something about how his patients were annoying and RONI was annoying and the world was annoying, but that's another story. So back to where we were, the Japanese headed towards the target, being careful not making a sound. To make sure the man was still asleep, she waved her hand in front of his face. No reaction. She carefully and slowly lifted her leg and passed it above the man's body before nesting it between the couch's backrest and the diagnostician's side before putting her leg on the little space there was between his other side and the edge of the couch, straddling him. She started leaning towards his face (because that's the goal of the "body chicken" thing) until she could feel his breath. Her hair was falling on each side of his face, as well as on his. When Tomoe was about to pull away, Gabriel sneezed ('ACHOO', he frickin sneezed) because of the Asian's hair itching him, making his head jerk forwards. Of course, it caused him to hit her head with his, and painfully at that, knocking her off him. 'Dammit, what's happening! RONI, turn on the lights right now!  
''Understood, Doctor. Lights are now turned on" replied the intelligent machine. 'Fu- run, Tomoe, get outta there!' called Maria, who had jumped out of her hiding spot in a corner. She had already ran off, leaving Tomoe and Gabriel alone (if you don't count RONI). The poor Japanese squeaked and started to blurt out so many words at once it was hard to understand.  
'Hey, calm down. If you start talking like you just poured boiling soup in your mouth I won't g-' started Gabriel, but he stopped in the middle of the phrase when Tomoe was nowhere to be seen. 'What the hell just happened now? And what where they doing in my room anyways?' 'I cannot tell you Doctor, but you should consider going back to sleep and sort this out at a more appropriate time.' 'Yeah, you're right (for once), just turn off the light'.

By the time everything had calmed down, the two women were back in Maria's room, panting heavily. 'Never again. Hell'll fall on me if I do that again, trust me!' said the flustered heiress. 'Hahah, what are you talking about! Did you see his FACE? I should've taken a picture, pffft' continued Maria, who was practically rolling on the floor.

Strangely enough, the rest of the night wasn't all that eventful, but the women had their fair share of cruelty towards the others...

* * *

**A/N : ADMIT that they would totally do that. I mean, just look at them. It's so obvious you would have to blind and deaf to not notice. And especially Maria, always trying to get on dear Mr. Diagnosis' nerves. Why him of all people? The dice said so. EVERY character is chosen with the dice to make the challenge tougher and more variate. And the dare? I totally used Tordol and chose the first dare they showed me. Yay.**

**At first I was totally going to have them run in the corridors and slide with their socks while screaming like little girls, but considering it's a hospital, it would've been inapropriate. Anyway.**

**They were meant to be kind of ooc here, because as stated at the beginning, they CHANGE during the night. *scary music* It's trufax, at that. You girls know what I'm talking about, right?**

**Also, I'm not quite sure of how it works in their hospital, but for some reason I assumed their office was their room as well and they were living in the hospital, considering the fact most of them don't really have a family, y'know... Well, that's just how it works for me here. If it's not that... too bad, but you'll have to deal with it.**


	3. Reasons, CR and Hank

**Because small things can change everything...**

* * *

Hank was a kind man. He always tried to make people around him happy, he taught people various things and made sure no one had problems. However, there was one person that seemed unaffected, or at least, barely so, by his aura of kindness. To name that one person, it was the surgeon. Hank, like all the others, absolutely refused to call him by his prisoner name (they felt it wasn't right to do that), and were thus referring him by various words. They usually had to adress him directly rather than call him from far away.

The big man had decided that he would do anything in his power to cheer the young surgeon up, be it by simply talking to him or taking him to places when he wasn't busy operating or taking Claire to the mall. And so, when both men had time, Hank would take him somewhere. He tried so many things, but none of them worked; he brought him in the city to take a walk, and even at the zoo, to name a few things he tried, but nothing worked. The hero had then decided to use his last-resort solution : the garden in the back of the hospital.

The first time seemed to be in itself effective, as the young surgeon seemed to hold his head, be it by so little higher, to look at the flowers around him. He walked around the different flowers, looking at them, inspecting colors and shapes. Some were familiar, some were completly new to him. He had to admit the sweet scent itself was relaxing, and the sight of all these colors blending together made him want to stay there as long as possible. Hank finally had to go for a surgery, but the surgeon, having no surgery before a good two hours, decided to stay. He sat on the ground, his elbows on his knees and his head resting in his hands. There was a little man-made pond made with rocks in front of him, with a pretty little waterfall pouring its water in it. The young prisoner also noted there were little goldfish swiming around, as he could see their golden scales gleam under the muddy water. He looked at the flowers around the pond; cosmos, tulips and pansies arranged in a half-circle shape, making it look like a bed around the pond.

The surgeon was staring at the flowers, musing at how similar they were to humans, and yet so different. Some of them took time to bloom, but in the end, it was all worth it. Others were small and shy, only showing themselves when there weren't any giants around them. There were flowers that stood tall and proud, as if to protect the smaller ones. In fact, by the time he had looked at them all, the young man was sure he could have attributed a flower to each one of his coworkers. When he was called to do the surgery, he let out a little sigh, took in one last time the scent of the garden and headed out.

This continued for a few days. One morning, when the prisoner was walking around the garden, Hank called him, saying he had something to ask him. The surgeon walked up to the man, and stopped in his track when the last question he expected, being 'Would you like to help me take care of the garden?', was asked. His eyes got wider, and he was at loss of words for a second. After a few seconds, he managed to answer by noding and saying '...Yes, I would like to help you'. Hank smiled at the answer he wanted to get, and told him they would start the next day. They continued to walk around the garden in silence, because these moments of peace should never be broken by words (except now).

The following day, they started taking care of the flowers. They would water the plants, remove the weeds, take out the dead plants, cut the flowers' dried leave, and many other things. The prisoner seemed to find a liking in doing that. He felt as if he was truly taking care and giving love to something that would return the affection given. He was making sure the flowers weren't getting too much or not enough water, that they weren't hidden in shadows, that they were healthy and no parasite was devouring them. He was doing it with grace and calm, as if the flowers would shatter like crystal if he was not careful enough. After a few days, the garden seemed to be even more alive, if that is possible, the flowers exhibiting even brighter colors, their smell was sweeter and more wonderful than ever, and so many creatures were attracted by the garden that insects' buzzing and birds' chirping could be heard. The wind was making the leaves of the trees dance and sing, too. At last, the goldfish in the pond seemed to grow bigger, making the water gleam even more. Everyone who was visiting the garden was mesmerized by its unique beauty. But the person who had gotten most of the benefits was the prisoner. He was so proud of this... He felt like he had accomplished something. It was ridiculous, he knew it, after all, all he did was take care of a garden. But he would never have expected that all the time, love and care he had poured into this would have been returned to him like this. It was ten, no, a hundred times more than he thought he would get.

From that day on, the hero and the prisoner would work together to keep this garden like this, pouring all their feelings in doing so. Flowers, such subtle but beautiful living beings, had changed someone's life. And they deserved to get love from that same someone, just like he had the right to get their love.

* * *

**I'm sorry, it's shorter than the first one...I really loved writing this one. I'm not sure if I got them in character, but I wanted to show how such small things can change a life. I know that CR-S01 had changed in the game; I noticed it. But this time, I wanted to explore an even deeper change, in his emotions, where he would change in a more emotional, rather than social, way. I'm not sure if I got it right, though... you'll tell me, won't you?**

**I tried to keep the dialogue minimal, as I feel some moments shouldn't be spoiled by words, you know?**

**Also, thank you for those who added my story to their favourite/alerts! I greatly appreciate it! I'll try not to deceive you in the future!**

**Disclaimer at the end this time because I can : I don't own anything, 'cept the idea that is not very original..  
**


	4. Wrong Moment, Maria and Gabe

**THEY WERE MEANT TO BE**

** ...or not...**

**Ever noticed how bad Gabriel's karma is?**  
**Hmm... maybe an idea for later...**

* * *

In a hospital, one of the most important things is to be able to cooperate with anyone, at any time. Usually, that also implies having good relations with everyone to avoid any kind of problems during an emergency. And yet, two people who seemed like cat and dog in times where nothing happened proved to be quite the efficient team, wroking quickly and effectively. Namely, these two persons were Dr. Cunningham and Dr. Torres.  
However, there must have been something that had created that distance between the two. It was unlikely only one event had triggered the adversity they had, and it was reather caused by a series of unfortunate, and sometime embarrassing, "wrong time, wrong place" moments.

Maybe, only maybe, if they didn't have the habit to enter into each other's room without knocking first, they could have avoided these encounters. However, given the personality they had, they were more prone to annoy the other on purpose for reasons that probably weren't even justified or explainable. It had really all started on a sunny morning when Maria had received the order to bring a patient's chart to the diagnostician's office. Deeming unnecessary to knock on the door, or rather, not wanting to do it, she opened it on Gabriel trying to make a toast by toasting it with his cigarette, and, to top it all, in his underwear. The only thing the poor man saw was a chart flying under his nose before hearing the thing hit the wall and the door slam. Finally came muffled, angry shouts from the other side of the door ('Moron, what the hell you should get dressed up as soon as you wake up, and can't you make food like norm-' he didn't get anything after that because it sounded like the woman was pretty much yelling for three).

Well... he DID feel a tad bit bad about it and decided to go apologize, just in case it would prevent him from being beaten up. The same evening Gabriel went to see Maria in her room, but just like she did, he opened the door without knocking, only to reveal the paramedic woman cuddled with a stuffed animal in front of the fire. Gabe, honestly, couldn't suppress a chuckle and went as far as to coo about "how cute it was". He was only joking, but he didn't expect Maria to throw the stuffed animal at him (a black cat with a collar that read "Chloe" on the tag) and was promptly pushed out of the room. The woman also warned him that if he did it again, she wouldn't hesitate shoving his cigarette where he wouldn't want to have it.  
These really were the start of it all. However, soon after, Maria was called for an emergency and Gabriel was sent there with her. At first they didn't cooperate, but quickly came to an "agreement" of some sort where they would call it a truce for the moment. They worked efficiently and were soon done with the task.  
The Chief noticed it and came up with a theory about why they worked so well together; they were balancing each other's attitude, meaning that Gabriel could drag Maria back into tracks if she started to get too agitated, while the woman would keep the diagnostician concentrated on the task ahead. Esha judged good to team them up often, though she did let Maria do her things alone mostly and work with others.

But then, oh then, RONI arrived. It seemed to multiply the moments Maria got from Gabe by a thousand. She seemed to always make it on purpose, finding her way in the room when the man was hopelessly arguing with a computer that wouldn't give up. The paramedic had, more than once, walked in while the two were playing an intense game of poker, chess, checkers, uno or bingo. She had even made a habit of hers to go take a peek in the room, just to have something to make fun of her coworker. The man eventually gave up on lecturing her about knocking on his door, and let her have her fun. After all, it was no different from before... right? Honestly he didn't mind it that much as he always had a witty response to her teasing.

One day, while walking down the corridor, Maria had found a bag on the floor. Curious of what it was, she took it out, only to see it was a frilly dress. She decided to take it to her room and try it on. She inspected the dress in front of her mirror, noting that it actually looked quite good on her, in her opinion. It was white, ending just above the knee, and the bottom was frilly. Not too much, but it still was. She looked at herself, completly forgetting her surrounding, meaning she didn't here the "Maria, I'm coming in!" from Gabe. When he opened the door she let out a little squeak, surprised by the sudden intrusion in her personal space. The paramedic didn't miss the little scoff in the man's voice, and tried to convince him she could be pretty too, if she tried. Finally, having over the head of his insults, she chased him down the corridor (she COULD run with the dress!) before doing something terrible to him (in this part, let your imagination go wild). She returned to her room afterwards, discarded the dress and went to sleep.

The next afternoon, while coming back tired and sore from yet another emergency, in a restaurant, she found a little bag hung on the doorknob to her room. She took it with her and opened it once inside, just to make sure the diagnostician wouldn't see it. Diving her hand in the bag, she felt something soft and upon taking it out, saw it was a cat plushie, just like her black one. This one was a gray tabby and had a blue collar with "Tommy" written on the tag. She looked once again in the bag and found a little note that read :  
"_The dress did look good on you..._"

She sighed. Ah well... maybe she could forgive him this time and apologize for the damage she had caused him that day.

**

* * *

Is it me or these stories just keep getting more stupid and shorter every time?**  
**I don't really have an explanation for this one, really. I wanted to write something half-funny-half-serious for these two, seeing how they make quite the comical duo. I didn't want to write something that was just... funny-funny, if you see what I mean.**  
**Feel free to interpretate the last parts as you wish, be it friendship, romance or just another start for a fight.**  
**I honestly don't have a favourite couple, any will satisfy me, hence the polyvalence.**

**And now, time to roll the dices again! So far, only Naomi was not picked. I feel it'll be a challenge if I get her with someone other than Gabriel...**  
**Also, if there's a duo you'd like to see, feel free to propose it; you never know, I just might do it.**

**Disclaimer : ditto as before**

**Of all names, ****Tommy... seriously, that's such a weird name for a cat...  
**


	5. More than Needed, CR and Tomoe

**Requested by SoulKillerCute!**  
**Ironically, it's the first duo that came out when I shook the dices. ._. ...Does that mean I have to do it twice..?**  
**Hahah, I fail at romance. ;A; Critics welcome, 'specially about that.**  
**By the way, there is an indetermined amount of time that passes between each paragraph; I would say between few hours and one week. I didn't want to bother with time indication as they really aren't all that necessary here.**

**It's always for too long. Almost.**

* * *

It was known that in the whole Resurgam center, everyone often overdid things. Or rather, almost everyone because of all the people there, only two could be considered as persons who never did more than necessary. To be named, these persons were be Dr. Tachibana and prisoner number CR-S01. Both of them would do just as much as necessary; they would never overreact, say more than necessary or stay somewhere longer than they should. Or at least, so would the other think. In fact, both the surgeon and the endoscopy specialist had caught each other doing something longer than they should many times, and it went to the point where it became a silent competition between the two. Who would make the most errors?

When CR was first brought into his new cell in the hospital, he felt even more lonely than before. He had gotten used to the others' presence, but once he was confined in the cage-like room, most of the time no one would visit him for a long time. He spent the rest of the afternoon there, when a small figure entered the room. It was Dr. Tachibana who had brought his meal. She gave it to him and then walked up to the table, sat there and watched him. The surgeon was rather confused as to why she stayed, but didn't say anything about it.  
'I want to make sure you eat', the woman stated simply. The man started to eat, but was feeling embarrassed she was staring at him while he ate. However he remained silent, as he didn't want her to go and leave him ... When he finished, the woman took the tray, all the while watching him. When she was about to leave the room, she turned one last time, waited a few seconds and then waved her hand before dissapearing.

_You stared... for too long_...

The prisoner had just finished a surgery and was on his way to return to his cell, when he remember he had a message to give to Tomoe. He walked around the corridors, looking for her, when he almost bumped into the little woman. They both took a second to gain their composure. They remained silent for a moment, when the surgeon realized he had to give something to the woman in front of him. He quickly handed the envelope to Tomoe and muttered a quiet 'sorry' before making his way around her to reach his cell. The woman's face was graced by a little smile.

_You hesitated more than you should have...!_

Now, by then, the others had realized something was going on between the surgeon and the Japanese; they just weren't sure of what it was exactly. When they were in the conference room, the two concerned would stare at each other, almost as if they were having a staring contest. Little did the other doctors knew, it was indeed a contest. Just not the common one, like who would annoy the other the most or who could pull the most trick on others in one day. They tried to corner CR to get an answer, but only got an annoyed look that clearly read 'leave me alone now please. I need to do other things', and they simply could not catch Tomoe : after all, she always managed to escape using her ninja skills. Finally, Esha, Gabrial, Hank and even Maria gave up on getting answers and continued to be spectators to the other two's behavior.  
And then, the two mentioned before thought, at the same time :

_They tried to find answers for longer than they should have!_

On a sunny afternoon, Tomoe had free time. She didn't want to train that day, she felt it would be a shame to waste such a calm day. She decided to go relax in her favourite spot : the little pond in the garden. She had heard of how the surgeon had contributed to make the place even more lively, and since then she enjoyed the garden even more. She was glad to see that the little fish had grown bigger since it reminded her of the koi back in Japan. She was so caught up in daydreams that she didn't pay attention to the sound of someone entering the garden.  
When he entered the garden, gardening gloves in one hand and watering can in the other, CR hadn't expected to find someone else besides him, and maybe Hank, in the garden, so when he saw the woman whom he had a silent contest with was there, he stopped in his tracks. He was glad he didn't put his straw hat this time, or he would have been embarrassed more than ever if she saw him. Fortunately, she seemed to be oblivious to his presence, and he decided to watch her. He took in her appearance, how graceful and peaceful she looked at the moment. She was often worried and the man rarely saw her without a concerned face. She did seem to belong to the garden as her beauty was comp- what was he thinking? No! He couldn't let himself be distracted. He had to take care of the flowers! But just at the moment, the woman quickly turned to look at him. Suprised by the sudden movement, his first reflex was to turn around on his heel, but it obviously was not looking natural, as his back was just so stiff. The woman didn't say anything and resumed her daydreaming, while the prisoner continued as if nothing happened. When he was out of sight he sighed and using a bit of water in the watering can, he rubbed his ever so slightly flustered face.  
Meanwhile, the Japanese smiled in victory.

_...You stared longer than you really needed to...!_

Soon after, the Rosalia Virus started to spread at an alarming speed. While the whole team, minus Maria, were treating the patients in front of the hospital, Dr. Tachibana was called for an endoscopic operation. She was nervous and had even lost a bit of confidence with everything going on around her. She turned around to enter the building, but her nervousness made her loose her balance and she tripped on her own foot. She closed her eyes, waiting for the unavoidable and painful contact with the ground when she felt something, or rather someone, caught her. She looked up to see the skilled surgeon who had a determined, yet reassuring expression. He reassured the woman by telling her the help would be there soon, before letting go of her. They then headed to the operation room.

_...This time, you held me longer than you needed to..._

When everything was back to normal, people at Resurgam, and everywhere else for that matter, finally had a time to rest. The epidemic had tired and stressed everyone, so they were trying to relax and forget it.  
It was one of those days that CR and Tomoe found themselves in a scenario very similiar to the one that happened earlier. This time, the surgeon didn't even bother staying out of sight and the heiress didn't play either; instead, she simply called him to come over here.  
'What is it..?'  
'Oh, nothing. Just sit here with me, will you?', asked the young woman, tapping a spot besides her.  
'...All right. I guess...', he replied, setting his gardening material aside.  
'Thank you.'  
'...Huh? There's no need to thank me, I- Wha-?' **[1]**  
He stopped in the middle of the word when Tomoe turned towards him, took him by the collar of his clothing and pulled him down. The surgeon had no idea of what was happening, but he seemed to understand when he felt her soft lips on his. It only lasted a few seconds, and before he could react, she had already pulled back. CR looked at Tomoe. She was watching the pond once again, this time with a small smile and a light pink tint on her cheeks.

And for once, nobody won, nobody lost...

...because it wasn't _too long_...

...it was _too short_.

* * *

**[1] Fun fact : the last parts after that were the longest to write. It took me over two days of thinking just what could fit in there. Lame, I know.**

**Adgfsdg ;A; Romantic things are not in my expertise! ...Usually, at school, in all my stories someone was dying in an unexplained way or got killed in an atrocious manner. ;A; I'm trying to stay away from that kind of story since I'm pretty good at it. And also at writing in the first person. Buuuut... hmm, might be interesting.**  
**Hahah, I fail at romance.**  
**Uh, I wasn't really sure what I would write about for these two, so I let my imagination take over. Also, I figured Tomoe would be the boldest of the two. No...?**

**And lastly, I'd love to thank anyone who read/reviewed/criticized so far! I appreciate your help and support a lot! 3 - Have a heart (I don't usually use them).**

**Anyways, on for the next story!**  
**P.S. Why so many people dislike Tomoe? ;A; She's so sweet!**  
**P.S.2 ...Am I the only one who noticed how much Hank looks like a pumpkin?**


	6. Three Ss, CR and Naomi

Requested by ChocolatexCheese.  
sdgfdrg you really didn't made it easy, did you?  
It's written in first person POV. I won't write who is talking/thinking, because sometimes, it might just be the both of them. I want you to decide who is thinking what.

The three Ss.  
Sin, Snake, Strangle.

* * *

I always felt I was a prisoner of my sins. I should've known when it was about to fall on me; but sins, they were like a snake. At first, you didn't know they were there. You did something and it just appeared out of nowhere. It would slide and crawl around you, the only sign was the slight, low hiss, but you couldn't hear it. And then, slowly, it approached. Every time, it seemed closer. You looked around, but it was nowhere. It was too late. Then, it would start touching you. You would feel something cold, slippy, swift against your skin. But you couldn't catch it. And at last, you would commit the sin, and suddenly, you would feel the weight of the Snake on your shoulders. The Devil itself would wrap itself around your body and wouldn't let go. He would just tighten his long, heavy body around, and when he was done playing, he would swallow you in nothingness.  
Like a snake.

* * *

I'm not sure when I really started to feel the oppressing weight on my shoulders. Was it when I was contacted to do the nasty job? Was it when I finally gave up? I will never know. But one thing I am sure of, it was before I was told the truth about my time on Earth. At the time, when I was told I didn't have long to live, I could've sworn I heard a little hiss in my ear that sounded like a laugh, a chuckle. I knew it, I knew I deserved it. And I didn't want to run away.  
After, I became a forensics expert. Why, of all things? Maybe it was to see what Death looked like. Or maybe it was to know just how I would look like once my last breathe left my lungs, my soul. Maybe.

* * *

When I was asked to do something unusual, I felt something. Something that made me, barely, though, feel lighter. That meant I could fix my errors. Save lives. It wouldn't help the victims of my past actions, but that meant I could help people, I could be the person that would help families avoid a terrible loss. It was... it was as if I was exonerated... almost. Because for ever would the sighs, the cries of the dying haunt me. I had comitted a terrible sin, and it would take time and efforts to forget it. So I started to slowly wash away the horrible thing I did, saving on like at a time. And then, there was this person. -  
I was being consumed, slowly, painfully. One evil was constricting me, preventing me from breathing, tightening around my lungs. The second was devouring me from the inside. I was stuck, there was nothing I could do about it, it was the end.  
Or so I thought. When I was attacked by a third evil -the Rosalia Virus, namely-, I met someone who was living the same fate as me. Their sin was strangling them, like the snake pressing out all the air from the lungs of its prey to suffocate him.

* * *

And when I met them, I knew something happened. We were in front of the operation room, and they nodded to me. It was a simple move, but it meant so much. That single action was a sign that something was going to happen. At that moment, I felt as if the snake around me fell dead to my feet. Its cold body was not pressed against my skin anymore. I felt a defening silence as the hiss suddenly stopped. I knew the person in front of me had been freed, liberated, exonerated too. That person had saved. They had changed my life forever.

* * *

Now... I feel bad. So bad. I'm sorry!  
I honestly don't know what happened... school caught me up, and I just forgot about it during summer. When we started writing short stories in French, I remembered this... Forgive me! I'll try to not let it happen again!

'Exonerate'... I really like that word.

Reviews, requests and critics always welcome!


	7. Read this please!

Ah! This story sure has gathered some… pretty heavy dust. I'm very sorry to everyone who is following this story and to those who faved it. By the way, thanks for that you lovely people!

The thing that happened is that I got extremely, very, busy with life and school. I also had to move out recently, and cegep (which is the equivalent of college) is starting soon, but I'm sure none of that will hinder me now.

What made me go back to this story is the visit of a friend who now lives close by. I lent him my Trauma Team game, and I woke up this morning with an epiphany: "hey! Didn't I have this story I was writing? I sure could continue it, after all, Trauma Team IS still a good game!"

And so with that, I wrote up this little alert quickly. I will roll the dice soon, and write a story accordingly. If any of you happens to see this, remember : requests are always welcome!

I may be a bit rusty on the character's personality, but I'm slowly remembering them.

I will be seeing you soon, everyone!

Stay cool


	8. Critical Hits, CR and Gabe

Who might that be? That would be Kann! What could that be? A new chapter!

I really want to change my name to Snoops, hah.

This is written in the present tense, which is something I'm not used to.

And on to the story.

**There's more to it than meets the eye.**

* * *

Two fierce beasts stand in what used to be a relatively rectangular arena-like area. The place is now a complete wreck; rocks protrude from the floor like the teeth of a behemoth; twisted pieces of metal litter the ground, as if a dying machine spewed its steel innards on the floor it passed away on, all of it mixed with purplish spikes that look more like vicious poison-spewing urchins. And it's not all. The ground is cracked, as if an intense drought drained the life of the floor, down to the very soul of it. However, a deluge is now relieving the abused earth, pouring as if the heavens have opened.

A bird-which bears similarities to an overgrown sparrow- hovers above the littered soil, carefully avoiding anything that might dull its claws or cut its skin open. The bird is quite magnificent! Brown, with a cream stomach. Its bright eyes are surrounded by black markings, and they give it quite the noble appearance, and it goes without mentioning its long red-and-yellow feathers flowing from between its eyes down to its crimson tail. It is as noble as it is brave, and it glares at its opponent fiercely. Thirty feet from it stands a feline that could probably be called a lion; a black lion with a spiky mane, aggressive red eyes, and odd, blue-and-yellow fur on its legs and face. It swishes its tail threateningly, and clenches its jaws in anticipation. It doesn't seem to be doing as good as the giant sparrow, for it is heavily hindered by the rocks and twisted pieces of metal.

This is the last turn. The one which decides whom, from the noble sparrow or fierce lion, will be the victor. It is all a question of speed and precision.

The bird is ready. It spreads its wings, soars high into the sky, and, once ready, plummets down, wings tucked to its sides, towards the feline. It braces for impact, and then…

_Pidgeot used Brave Bird!_

_It's not very effective…_

_The foe's Luxray fainted!_

_Pidgeot is damaged by recoil!_

"What?" a scandalized Gabriel lets out. "Just how could you beat me six-to-zero in a Pokemon battle? I thought strategy was my thing! And that last move wasn't even super effective against my Luxray."

"You're not thinking about it enough. My Pidgeot won because she was bred with perfect Attack and Speed IV as well as with the Brave Bird egg move, she was EV trained in these two stats as well, she carries the Adamant nature and I gave her a Sharp Beak, which makes her flying type attacks stronger. Not only that, but the entry hazard I set up earlier vastly crippled your Luxray", explains an amused CR-S01.

"…what. Eevees? What does Eevee have to do in here? And intravenous? You boost your Pokemon by breeding them to have medical instruments on them?"

The discussion is going nowhere, and the young surgeon finds himself pretty exasperated. Gabriel is a brilliant man, there's no denying it. That's why getting him Pokémon White version seemed like a good idea : at least, he'd have a worthy opponent to fight against. Huge error. Gabe doesn't seem to realize this game goes much farther than just the moves you stick on your monsters, and he eventually leaves him with a "go ask RONI, I'm sure she can help" before retreating to his cell for the night.

* * *

And first thing the diagnostician indeed does when he opens the door to his office is to ask RONI to help him learn everything about Pokémon. The intelligent computer easily finds information about the famous game in its database; whoever programmed her sure thought about everything.

So for the whole nights, he learns about everything that makes the kid's Pokémon vastly superior to his : he learns how natures affects the growth of certain stats, and how important it is to train specifically your monsters to have better starts, and breeding and abilities and moves and items and whatnot. He feels much wiser the next day, but not yet ready to face the unexpected Pokémon expert.

Gabriel does see something good about all of this. He gets closer to the surgeon, and he feels picking up a kid's (not so much anymore) game to play with a colleague was one of the best ideas anyone ever had. It's a juvenile thing, he knows, but the term "play with his colleague" makes it all the more endearing, and he figures adding an s to that colleague might make everything more enjoyable. None the less, not matter how friendly it all is, he intends to get his revenge and several trips to the day-care and hours of training later, he finds himself ready to face the master again.

This time, a sandstorm is tearing apart the no man's land. Rocks are once again emerging from the ground, sharp and ever so dangerous. The wind is howling, and the sand being carried by it feels like thousands of tiny razor blades or glass shards slashing through the air.

A once beautiful serpentine form is writhing on one side of the battlefield. It's scales are dull, having lost their shine from the sandstorm that was summoned long ago. It isn't doing half bad, but it was clearly worn down from a long, arduous fight.

And on the other side of the arena stands a terrifying shadow. It's dark blue, standing out in the sand, and its red belly cutting through the veil like blood on snow. It roars, as if the wind swishing around it helps it and makes it stronger. With a mighty stomp of the floor, the floor shakes, agitated by an earthquake of which the monster is the epicentre. The dulled snake hangs on as much as it can, and barely manages to stay conscious. It forms a loop with its body, and opens its mouth. A blue, ice-cold beam is thrown out of it like an arrow and, for a moment, victory seems to be near. However, the blue monster vanishes for a second, avoiding deftly the attack, the beam hitting a rock behind. The ice cracks and explodes, and for a second a rain of ice and sand falls in the arena. The blue monster suddenly reappears…

_Garchomp used Dragon Claw!_

_A critical hit! _

_Foe's Milotic fainted!_

And suddenly, a collective sigh is released from the group that has formed around the two fighters. The battle had been going on for a while, and progressively more people had piled up around them to look up. First came Tomoe, then Esha, followed by Hank, then those two nurses, Little Guy (or whatever his name is), Maria next, and finally Naomi who had to find "Agent" to drag him back to HQ.

And from then on, every time a few minutes could be spared, a battle would begin, and yells and laugh could be heard from wherever the battle was.

Gabriel was proud of his first victory, and he felt it somehow made him closer to CR-S01. Not only from a Pokémon point of view, but he felt he had redeemed himself : he was the fine strategist everyone thought him as, and people could take him seriously again, even if he played kid's games.

* * *

Aaaah hahahaha first chapter I submit in years is a request made by superdude8 who probably didn't have that in mind, and who might not even see it.

I'm a pokenerd, and I figured that somehow, two bright minds playing an incredibly deep kid's game would be hilarious. Anyways, I kinda wandered off the interaction here, but I'm going back on tracks next chapter, don't worry!

Just for fun, I imagined what Gabe's and CR's teams would be. Figured Gabe would be a more aggressive player, with offensive monsters, while CR would have something more balanced and traditional.

Gabe : Tyrannitar, Garchomp, Luxray, Gallade, Electivire and Volcarona.

CR… : Milotic, Pidgeot, Venusaur, Salamence, Ampharos and Ninetales.

Well anyways, that's about it. I really feel like writing some AU and some pretty absurd stuff, but I got to balance all that out. Also, by far my longest chapter, damn me!

By the way, can you name every move that was used during their two battles?

Love you all, and see you in the next one! And don't forget about critics!


	9. Quiet memories, Hank and Gabe

A slightly sadder story, though not too much.

**Good intentions always start somewhere.**

* * *

Shouts echoed through the hospital halls, the sound of shoes clattering on the floor as the Resurgam staff ran busily to and fro. A fire had occurred in an apartment complex, and victims were many. Thankfully everyone was evacuated, but many patients were in severe condition: second and third degree burns, irritated lungs and respiratory canals and broken bones due to the building's second floor giving in.

At the end of the week, every soul in the center was weary and everyone was aching. Most of the people had been taken care of and were gone back, but the most critical cases still had to stay under intensive care.

Gabriel hadn't ended up as bad as most other medical experts. His expertise being diagnosis, he was mostly assisting Maria during the evacuation on the first day, where he would give a general idea of the victims' states to determine whether or not they were in immediate danger. After that he was to assist Hank, Tomoe and CR during surgeries. The three of them worked ardently to save their patients, but Gabriel soon noticed that Hank was by far the most passionate one; the diagnostician was vaguely aware of the orthopaedist's past, and he assumed it was linked with it.

Hank was, in Gabriel's opinion, the kindest and scariest person he had ever met. The man was huge and menacingly strong, but beneath the skin was a heart as tender as a lamb's. An odd comparison, but it sure fitted him. He used his enormous strength only to protect the weaker, and he treated every person as an equal. Prejudice was not a word that could be used in the same phrase as his name.

Hank and Gabriel were both sitting in the break room, and seeing as they were alone, the bitter doctor spoke up.

"Say, Hank, why are you so… you?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

He was clearly confused by such an unexpected question, and especially coming from someone who didn't seem very curious about other people outside his patients.

"I mean, you're just so kind and outspoken. You'd expect someone like you to be a sort of savage animal or something."

"By 'someone like me', are you talking about someone who's seen the war and lost someone dear?" Gabriel nodded.

"You've obviously never seen the horror of it. I did it to protect the country I live in, but the hypocrisy is just painful. War is not heroic. There is nothing brave about taking other people's life. Everyone thinks soldiers on the battlefield fight with a patriotic flame burning in their heart. And it's a lie. We fight for our own skin. It's egotistic."

The diagnostician was left speechless by the outburst.

"I'm sorry about that. What I mean is, I'd rather now save lives by preserving them than by taking them away. Who knows how many fathers', brothers' and husbands' lives I've taken? How many families I've ruined? I don't want it to happen again. I'll do everything I can to protect those I hold dear."

For a moment, Claire passed through his mind. He understood why he was so protective of her: she had wanted to take away her own life, and after the horrors he had seen, seeing someone as young as her pass away would have been terrible.

"Ah, that sure… did explain a lot. You didn't have to go into such personal details, but thank you for your trust."

And next time Gabriel saw crouching to give a saucer of milk to a stray kitten and pet the little thing, he didn't cringe in fear for the poor animal, nor when he saw Hank give a reassuring pat on the kid's shoulder when they were done working in the garden.

* * *

Well, that was… kinda short. I'll try to write longer chapters from now on, though it's not necessarily easy. I'm always scared they get too long and boring!

Anyways, a bit of a more... serious story, with some insight on Hank's reasons. I've never lived the war, or well, I did, but I was barely a year old so I don't really remember. But my father was indeed in the army, and he indeed did the war. It's a sad thing, and it's a pretty touchy subject with me.

You know, one thing that's a bit difficult to understand when people make request is whether or not they are asking for something romantic or not. I mean, most people tell me 2 numbers, and I have to go from there, which isn't bad. I'm just kind of afraid of butchering up, so sorry if the story isn't going the way you anticipated. I do get a lot of ideas though, so feel free to request a pair that's already been written. Hell, you can request as many characters as you want, though preferably not too many!

Love you all, and see you next chapter!


	10. Damsel in Distress, Naomi and Little Guy

Damsel in Distress

6 and 6

The two next requests are about Gabe, so I decided to cut in-between with a request of Little Guy and Naomi because I also like them. Gabe, everyone loves you so much.

**Switching roles sometimes wouldn't hurt.**

* * *

He's been sitting by the window, looking through it since he woke up. There's really nothing to do, and he wishes nothing more than to go outside in the sun while he can and at least take advantage of the fact that no one is here to stop him. He suppresses the urge he has to start singing through the hole in the wall and abandons his session of looking outside in hope of something, _anything_, happening.

Just when he averts his gaze from the window to look about the room, a noise clearly coming from outside catches his attention: it's the unmistakable noise someone running would make, but as he passes his head through the window, what he sees surprises him: a black, armoured horse bearing a silver silhouette on its back. As the mysterious horse rider approaches, he finally catches the reflection of the sun on it: it's a knight! And just as there is nothing more than a few yards between the knight in shining armour and the door leading all the way up to his room in the tower, the sun briefly disappears. He sighs. _Here she comes_, he thinks.

A mighty red, yellow-eyed dragon descends from the sky and lands between the hero and the lad, and with a terrifying roar, challenges the knight. He promptly gets off his horse and brandishes a long, indubitably sharp sword and a glinting shield. The battling then starts. After what seems hours of exploding fireballs and sounds of steel on scale, the unyielding dragon finally falls on the grass, her tainted and discoloured blood seeping from numerous wounds and on the charred field of grass. With a quick, efficient movement, the sword falls on the dragon's neck, right behind the head, and cuts it off clean.

All the way up in the tower, the lad perks up at the knight's victory. He's been waiting for so long! And just as he runs to the door and outside, it creaks on its hinges as the hero who saved him appear. The armoured man gives a polite bow, and proceeds to remove the helmet hiding his face. The lad's breathe catches in his throat at the sight- long, silvery hair flow out like a cascade, surrounding a fair face. Icy blue eyes gaze at him, and he is not only surprised that his hero is in fact a woman, but also because she is of such beauty!

He's not sure of what he should say, and so the knight starts.

"It is a pleasure meeting you…_Agent_".

And at the name he starts, and just as he opens his mouth to ask what she is speaking about, a sharp tug on his shoulder snaps him out of his reverie.

"Agent, have you sent the pieces of evidence for analysis? I've been waiting for hours!"

He looks over at Dr. Kimishima, eyes wide and cheeks pink; not only has he been caught sleeping on the job, sleeping on a _case_, but his dreams also punished him in the worst way possible. As he shakes his head to clear his mind, he's not quite sure what to say.

"A-ah, I'm sorry. I didn't sleep last night, and you didn't need me and the chair was comfortable and-"

"That's enough. Just send the samples, and make sure this doesn't happen again. I might need you later, so make sure you at least stay awake for the remainder of the day. Sleep all you want after."

Dr. Kimishima's steps echo sharply in the halls, and he lets out a sigh of relief once she's out of hearing range.

He scolds his mind for the odd dream because not only had he trivialized a dramatic event, but also because _he_ had been in the position of the damsel in distress waiting for a knight in shining armour to save him. And that knight happened to be his boss. He wasn't really sure when he had started to feel something for her, but when it had begun, he had no idea. The computer beeps, and he sends in all the samples to the analysis lab, including those he had forgotten during his sleep. The day is over soon after that.

* * *

The next day there is no case to work on, so he takes the occasion to sleep in and catch some precious hours of lost sleep. Just as he is about to close his eyes (and probably tumble into another odd dream) his phone rings. Dr. Kimishima is on the other end of the line, and she doesn't seem happy. At all. He winces, and he's glad she can't see him. Before she hangs up, the forensics expert orders him to go to his office at HQ, and at that point he's fully aware of what is going to happen. He accepts his fate and half an hour later he's sitting by the window, looking down at the busy street. A group of children runs under the window, and their steps make quick, loud noises, drawing his attention towards them. He hears a car's door slam shut and sees Dr. Kimishima walking purposefully to the building. Soon after the door to his office opens to reveal his boss, who courteously bows- a habit she still hasn't lost- and as she finishes her greeting of "I am glad to see you are indeed here" he scoffs at the absurdity of the situation. Soon after she starts scolding him on the importance of being awake on the job and sending evidence as quickly as possible because human lives are at stakes, and in the middle of the phrase he can't help but smile and snort.

"Is there something funny about what I'm saying, Little Guy?" and despite her tone, his smile remains.

"No, no, I was just thinking about something that happened recently and I… it was funny, I guess" he tries to explain.

"…Huh. Is that so?" and before he can react, a pale hands reaches up to his tie and fingers grasp at it. It's not the first time she does that, but he feels embarrassed by the proximity none the less and stays quiet. She cracks a barely-there-smile at him, inspecting his expression, and once she is apparently satisfied, she releases him without a word. As she elegantly walks towards the door, she turns her head at him. "I expect you to be well rested on the next case, because if I find you sleeping again, your wake-up call won't be nearly as pleasant" and with that she resumes her exit.

He rubs his neck awkwardly once she's gone and slumps in the chair. Perhaps changing roles with her is impossible and he should just accept his eternal, passion-induced submission to her. Not that he was complaining.

* * *

Little Guy's awkwardness towards Naomi is a really endearing character trait, and I find that adorable. And taking advantage of it is no hard task.

It's alright Little Guy, I have weird dreams too. And hey, at least you weren't wearing a dress, so it's not all bad. And you got to be saved by super awesome Dr. Kimishima. I wish she'd save me too.

Anyways, that's it for now. I still take requests, and since I have two waiting to be fulfilled, I guess I won't roll the dice right now. Oh, and feel free to request weird pairs! I mean, if you want to request something really odd like Alyssa and Maria or Chloe and CR or even Tomoe and Little Guy, go ahead by all means!

Love you all, and see you next chapter!

I am conflicted by the fact Microsoft Word proposes British spelling(colour) while FF tries to correct it to the American spelling (color).


	11. Late Bloomer, CR and Gabe

Yesss about the updates: I don't guarantee a daily upload since it really depends on how much I feel about writing, but I'll try to update as much as I can. I want to keep it rather regular, though I could _probably_ update several times a day since I have so much time.

This time it's a guest who requested some 1 and 5 fluff (that would be CR and Gabe).

I'll try my best here while keeping it realistic!

**He was **_**not**_** a late bloomer**

* * *

When he first arrived at Resurgam, CR-S01 hadn't spared a thought for his future coworkers. He didn't intend to become their friend: he was here to perform surgery, nothing more and nothing less. It turned out the staff here was pretty intrusive and he soon found out he couldn't escape their sympathy. As soon as he had set food in the building he had become one of them, and they made sure he understood it.

He got familiar with the place quickly, and after Hank showed him the garden, the surgeon had made it his spot, going there whenever he needed to be alone and away from his very lively coworkers. He wasn't quite used to the noise and action, since for the previous eight years he had been alone in a cold cell and was denied any sort of human contact. Not only that, but he was incarcerated during his teens years, and never really enjoyed this moment of his life. It goes without saying he missed a lot of firsts during that time, and when he found himself having a so-called crush towards one of his coworkers, he was completely helpless.

Now, asking for advice would have been a good idea. It would, if it weren't for the fact he hadn't fallen for Maria or Tomoe, two pretty young ladies, but rather for Gabriel, who so happened to be an older male who had been once married and had a son. The odds of him returning his feelings were pretty low given the situation, and he never tried to act upon them; he was scared of the blatant and obvious rejection he would face. Even if he didn't show his emotions very much, he was still feeling them all the same; blame the cold cell for his lack of apparent empathy.

He quickly settled to bottling up and burying whatever he felt for the diagnostician, no matter how difficult it would be. Besides, he wasn't even sure why he was attracted to the other man in the first place. Perhaps it was his sheer intelligence; there was no way of denying he was brilliant, and although he had a tendency to act like an imbecile, CR knew there was incomparable knowledge behind his idiotic façade. Maybe what really drew him to the older man was his ability to act relaxed in the most dramatic situations, a trait he could associate with himself as well. Whatever the reason was, he had to stop all of this.

Eventually this proved being a task that was much more complicated than anticipated, because it seemed one couldn't just "fall out" of love with someone. In fact, trying so hard to achieve something was simply making it more difficult, and in the end he began showing painfully evident signs of his infatuation whenever he was in Gabriel's presence. Fortunately, he was usually meeting with him when others were here, and it gave enough distraction for the diagnostician to stop him from giving too much attention to CR. Gabriel's deduction skills, paired with the obvious signs he was showing would reveal his embarrassing situation in no time, and avoiding being alone with him was a precaution he had to take at all costs.

It worked for the most part, but it was only a few days later that his brilliantly foolproof plan was shattered. Spending time in the garden by himself to take care of the flower was something everyone was aware of him doing, and it would only be logical to go there if he was needed. With that information in mind, Gabriel went to deliver an envelope containing information on the patient he had diagnosed and needed surgery.

CR was sitting by the pond when he heard a voice call him, and immediately panicked when he recognized who it was. He briefly contemplated the idea of running away to disappear in the flowers, but it was a no go- he felt a firm hand on his shoulder, and the contact ruined every plan he had of escaping the situation he dreaded. He stood up and slowly turned around, avoiding eye contact. He really wasn't trying to help himself here, and the fact he knew Gabriel was carefully studying his body language to make something out of it was simply making him more desperate.

_Avoiding visual contact, dilated pupils, obvious blush on the face and neck._

The hand on the surgeons shoulder smoothly slid up to his neck to rest on his pulse point, and at that moment he realized any hope of hiding the truth was trampled on. He sighed in resignation when the diagnostician removed his hand.

_Heightened pulse._

This was it. He closed his eyes, not quite ready to hear the imminent indignation about how wrong all of this was and just how weird and abnormal he was. It wouldn't have been the first time he heard it either. A soft "hey" and the added weight of another hand on his other shoulder pulled him out of his train of thought heading directly to a gap in the rail, and he finally mustered the courage to open his eyes.

"It's alright. I don't mind it. I'd even say I'm flattered by the attention if it wasn't so creepy coming from me!"

The tone was soft and devoid of any malice. Before he could open his mouth to stutter out a single question that would probably have branched out in a hundred more, the other man was gone, and the only trace of his presence that was left was the firmly sealed envelope in his hand.

* * *

Whoa that was… easier than I thought? Sorry for the lack of kisses and hug, I just couldn't seem to fit anything like that in there.

In my mind, Gabe is just like… so tolerant of people it's not even funny. He doesn't care if you prefer cats over dogs, or if you love people of the same, different or of both genders, and he doesn't care if you wear sandals with white socks. I'm guessing he wouldn't mind it if another guy was gay for him or anything, he'd be like "aw yeah everyone loves me, and I love you too whoever you might be".

CR-S01 taking care of the garden with Hank is now canon in my head. So there might be lots of references to that particular trait.

Also a Sherlock BBC minor reference in there yaaay

I could've finished this chapter hours ago buuuut I get distracted so easily it isn't funny.

I was thinking of changing a bit the dice game, but I'm hesitant; it would still rely on luck, but it would also give the chance of some minor characters appearing. For now I'll stay with the requests and the two-dice-one-roll thing though.

See you guys next chapter! I love you all!


	12. Without a Care, CR and Alyssa

Sorry for the lack of updates, I was really scared I wouldn't be able to submit anything for a while, here. I've been kind of busy for the past few days, catching up with my social life and all. Writing this story is still a priority for me, though.

This one is a request from Storm Uchiha, who asked for some CR and Alyssa interaction! I was really looking forward to writing it!

**Eyes are the window to the soul**

* * *

CR is alone for the first time since his arrival at Resurgam, though it doesn't last long. He nearly falls backwards at the force of something latching to his legs accompanied by a girly cry of "Mister!" He manages to gain back his balance and is greeted by the sight of Naomi Kimishima. He looks down to see Alyssa hugging him tightly, and he awkwardly rests his hands on her back in the best display of affection he can provide.

"I know this is very unprofessional of me, but I was called on a case and I didn't have time to call a babysitter for Alyssa. Could you please look over her for today? I should be back by this evening. I really can't take her with me on the job…"

"Oh, uh, of course I can. I guess I can leave her to someone else if I'm needed for surgery. I'll take care of her" the young surgeon replies. Naomi nods in a grateful way and quickly turns away: she's in a hurry.

He looks down and pats the little girl on the back. At this she lets him go, and looks up to him with her big green eyes. She seems to be doing much better now and her gaze doesn't betray any sign of trauma from the event that nearly cost her life.

"Alright… is there something you want to do?" he asks her, because honestly he has no idea. He never really interacted with his adopted sister and as such he has no idea what to do to distract Alyssa for an entire day.

"Oh, oh, can we go see Miss Tomoe please, please, please?" she asks excitedly. She really has taken a like to the Japanese heiress, and he nods in agreement. They find Tomoe looking over some patients, and as soon as she gets in Alyssa's line of sight, she receives the same treatment the young man first got.

They stay here for a while, just speaking while Alyssa sometimes enthusiastically adds her two-cents, no matter how irrelevant to the conversation it is. Eventually Tomoe is called for duty and she has to go, and Alyssa proposes going to the gardens, an idea CR very much agrees with. His brotherly instincts have really kicked in, and he is trying his best to take care of his charge.

They spend the remainder of the day outside. At first they play tag, which is a pretty childish game in CR's opinion, but soon he realizes just how out of shape he is. When Alyssa becomes too tired, she decides it's time to play hide-and-seek. The young surgeon vastly underestimates her talent at hiding, as he practically never finds her –and she isn't willing to reveal any of her hiding spots.

By the end of the day, they are sitting under a tree in a companionable silence; something he didn't expect would happen with a child, and much less with one as lively as Alyssa. He ponders over the day he spent with her. It's really the first time he has a day that is devoid of any stress, and he wouldn't mind spending the rest of his life like this. He's felt like a child, playing games without a care in the world. Alas, his life is nowhere as easy as he wishes it to be.

His thoughts are interrupted by a nudge on his knee, and he turns his head to Alyssa. He instinctively rests his hand on her head for a moment.

"What is it, Alyssa?"

"Can you tell me your name, please?"

He freezes for a second. It's the first time since he's been freed someone asks him his name. He looks into her big, emerald eyes, and he sees exactly what he expects to find here: bottomless honesty and innocence. He briefly ponders how his red, light deprived eyes must look to the others, though the girl didn't really seem to find him scary at all.

"My name is Erhard Muller"

"It's a nice name! I've never heard it before" and that is really something he didn't expect to hear.

At that moment, someone calls Alyssa's name. Naomi is back from her case. She approaches the young convict, and, helping him up, she shakes hands with him.

"Thank you for taking care of her. I'm sure you did an excellent job of it."

"Yes! I had a lot of fun today!" and with that, Alyssa once again hugs the man in her own way of saying her goodbye. She then goes back to Naomi, and takes her hand in her own, small one. As the two of them departs, she waves to him, her face a mask of bright happiness.

In the end, he's really looking forward to keeping her next time. She's like a remedy of her own, and it seems everyone forgets about their problems and troubles when she's around.

* * *

Ah, that was fun! I wish I had written it longer though. I'm still open for requests by the way! I have one more left, and then the dice will roll again.

I'd like to thank all of you for your kind reviews! It really keeps me writing, seeing people who like my story like this!

Love you all, and see you next chapter!


	13. Sparring Match, Maria and Tomoe

Decided to roll the dice this time, since it's been a while since I've done it! Here I got 2 and 4 (again), which would be Maria and Tomoe. And that's awesome because I had an idea for them.

I only found one Maria/Tomoe fanfic, which makes me very sad.

**It looks like a game**

* * *

When Maria and Tomoe meet for the first time, it's instant friendship between the two. At first it's somewhat awkward because of the newcomer's fairly odd and (in Maria's opinion) otherworldly habits, but it doesn't last long. Soon enough, they discover they have more in common they have originally thought, and it's a lasting friendship that blooms between the two.

It's not too long after the Rosalia incident that Tomoe gets an idea that could benefit her and the hot-headed paramedic.

"Maria!" she calls when she sees the young woman putting on her goggles, ready to go hop onto her motorcycle to speed away towards the setting sun.

"Yes?" she responds, turning her gaze towards her friend.

"I know this might sound odd, but would you be willing to come back with me so we can spar? I know how much you like to train, and I figured you might enjoy it."

It sounds like a good idea in Maria's mind; perhaps she could release some stress by punching around a bit, but she's still worried. She doesn't voice her concern, however.

"Oh! That sounds awesome actually! Just tell me where you live, and I'll meet you here."

Tomoe is delighted, and she wastes no time giving the directions to reach her home. Twenty minutes later the two ladies meet there, Maria arriving last because she got lost on the way, though she's never admit it.

"Whoa… that's one pretty big house. How many people live in there? The equivalent of a small village or something?"

"No, no, just me and Hanzou" the Asian replies with a light laugh. "Now come here in the gardens. Wait for me here, I'll be back soon".

Maria looks around while waiting for her friend, taking in the sights. The garden is immense, and although it looks mostly like an empty field of grass, there are flowers, bodies of water and trees all around it. It's truly a beautiful place, and it's much more inviting than her own place. The sound of a sliding door catches her attention, her friend emerging from behind it in her training attire. They position themselves face-to-face, with a fair distance separating them.

"One thing Tomoe… I'm afraid I might hurt you…"

"Don't worry about it. I'm not made of glass, after all. Give me everything you've got. I won't go easy on you either" she replies with a light bow, and that seems to be everything Maria needed to hear. She throws herself on her friend, a fierce smile adorning her face. She's sure she's already won; she's much better built than Tomoe. She raises her hand in an obvious punch, but before she can deliver the blow, her fist is grasped by a pale hand and is thrown downwards. Before she can crash on the ground, another hand fists on the collar of her green jacket, keeping her in an awkward position. She realizes: Tomoe caught her before she fell.

"Gah! I demand a rematch!" she cries indignantly, clearly taken by surprise.

"As you wish, Maria", and with that she bows again.

This time, the paramedic won't be taken by surprise. She once again takes a running start, and she throws a punch; at the last second however she withdraws her hand, and as Tomoe is ready to guard the hit that never comes, it leaves enough distraction to allow Maria to hook her foot behind Tomoe's leg. However, just as she expects her opponent to fall down, the Japanese once again surprises her, and firmly taking Maria's shoulder in her hand, she twists them both around. Their positions are inverted, and it's the paramedic who finds herself sprawled on the floor. She feels a foot pressing on her back.

"That's very good, Maria! You almost got me this time". Tomoe congratulates her warmly, and since it's getting late and Maria is sore, she lets her friend stay over.

The next day Maria is bruised and tired, but she does her job nonetheless. Eventually the two young ladies arrange sparring days; Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, they'll meet up to spare. It's also the next week the real games begin.

Maria and Tomoe are headed to their training grounds, both of them on the paramedic's motorcycle. Maria went and bought a helmet for her friend, and now Tomoe is holding onto her waist as they speed to their destination.

As they arrive, they immediately prepare themselves. Maria sheds her green and yellow jacket, while Tomoe goes to change out of her kimono. This time, she opts for the clothing Maria bought her: a white shirt and a pair of shorts. She admits it's much more convenient to move around.

They begin once again their training, and this time they are more evenly matched. However, Tomoe once again wins, delivering a powerful punch in Maria's side. Her legs give up from the pain, and she falls flat on her back. Tomoe straddles her, smiling at her victory. It takes a moment for the loser to focus, and when she does, she smiles to herself. In a quick and swift move, her hands are on Tomoe's shoulders, and she quickly pushes her off her, rolling in the grass and inverting their positions. Now that she's on top, she can finally relish her first (and somewhat unfair) victory.

Maria is firmly holding her friend by the shoulders to make sure she can't move, using her weight to keep her down. What she's about to do is a bit risqué, but she feels she deserves a prize, and without a second thought she uses her right hand to uncover Tomoe's left shoulder and expose the soft skin there. She slowly lowers her head, and, it's not something she'd usually do, but she really can't help herself. She bites her, and it's not painful at all, but it surprises Tomoe nonetheless.

"Ah!" she breathes out, and she arches her body, though it doesn't help her situation.

"I'm sorry. Did that hurt?" the green-eyed girl asks. There's a light in her eyes, and Tomoe instinctively turns her head to the side, exposing her neck, and Maria takes that as a sign. This time, she brushes her lips against the spot she bit, earning a soft sigh from the girl pinned under her. The latter raises her hands to rest them on the paramedic's hips, as if to prevent her from standing up.

And from then on, their sparring lessons seem to always end with Maria as the victor.

* * *

Oh man, that was actually awesome to write. I really hope I'll get these two together more! I love them. Originally I was going to have them spar where Tomoe trains for archery, but seeing the direction I took, it wouldn't be the ideal spot to do these kind of things.

That was also the gayest (lesbianest?) thing I ever wrote, and I regret nothing.

Anyways, I have a little line-up now, since I've rolled the dice, but I'm going to write the request I got next. Don't forget I take any sort of requests! (Though nothing that goes above T)

Thanks for all the reviews, you lovely people!

Love you all, and see you next chapter!


	14. Flowerbed, Hank and Claire

You lovely people, let me tell you one thing: your requests are much more pleasant to write than the dice-rolls I get! With your requests, I can always get some minor characters, while dice only allow the six main characters to appear. Keep them up!

This is a request from Superdude8, who asked for some Hank/Claire!

**The grass is the dance floor; the flowers are their public**

* * *

Before she tried to take away her own life, everything was glum through Claire's eyes. The sun only rose to make sure she understood she had another awful day to go through, the birds sang in their cheery voices to mock her, the rain pelted her to ensure she was sick the next time the sun rose. She only found solace when the sun was set, hidden by the horizon, leaving its place to the moon.

When she found herself alive and laying in a hospital bed, she felt like life was playing another cruel joke to her. The peace she had been searching for had been taken from her, and there was nothing she could do about it. It felt like salt on an open wound when she found out a man, no less, had saved her, and from then on, she knew she could never forgive anyone for this.

Or so she thought.

She's quietly padding around the garden as soon as she can get out of the room. She's trying to lure Hank into seeing her, trying to make herself as irritating as humanly possible. She figures going into an unauthorized area is a good start, and with that, she resumes her trampling. A rustle in the hedge enclosing the area catches Claire's attention, and her mind whispers "victory!" when she sees who it is. However, her expression becomes crestfallen when the orthopaedic surgeon has made it clear her presence in this area is not a nuisance.

Somehow, that small acceptance and the apparent concern the giant man harbours for her become like the bright beam of a lighthouse, guiding her to safety and away from the storm life has thrown at her, rocking her boat and threatening to throw her overboard into the cold, dark sea. She finds herself appreciating the man more than her previous experiences with the opposite gender should allow her to, and she's honestly terrified at the trust she has towards the man.

The next time, she has no intention of trying to drive him away from her. Claire brings him food, and although these are indeed the leftovers she presents them as, Hank takes them gratefully and showers her in thanks. Perhaps she could get used to it.

Neither of them is very fortunate, for their third meeting, at the mall this time, away from the morose atmosphere of the hospital, is interrupted by frantic shooting. The culprit is desperate, does not aim, and he successfully accomplishes his goal of trying to take as many people with him as he can, believing his death to be imminent. He is nonetheless saved by the orthopaedic surgeon, despite the fact a bullet was buried beneath Claire's creamy skin. At the news of her recovery, it's all he can do to stop himself from bear-hugging Maria, who managed to save her.

As he walks around the garden, watching over the flora that grows there, Hank sees a familiar figure clad in an equally familiar black dress. The dress is blown about by the wind, but the sight is still surprising. The woman is obviously dancing, her steps light, agile and calculated. It is quite the sight, to be honest. The man gets closer, intending on registering this image in his mind: a once desperate woman now dancing about, as if life was the most wonderful thing that ever happened to her. As he steps nearer, the wind caries over the smell of her fruity perfume and the light tune of a song she's humming. From here, Hank can see her expression clearly. Her lilac eyes are closed, and a smile adorns her face. It's definitely the expression that suits her best; there is no doubt about it.

When she seemingly finishes her tune, she looks around, and once Claire sees Hank, she freezes, eyes wide like a deer's caught in the headlights. For a moment the young woman is stunned, and Hanks feels like he has seen something he shouldn't have. However, before he can apologize, the girl extends her hand to him, as if she were inviting him. His thinks for a second, and then her understands. He takes her small hand in his own, she rests her other hand on his shoulder, and he passes his arm around her waist. Their slow dancing is awkward: there is no rhythm to guide them, and although Claire is obviously experienced, Hank is clumsy and has no idea what to do. They don't think for a second about how ridiculous they look, however, for no else but the flowers and birds see them.

* * *

I really need to write longer stories, though it's not that easy… I'll try to stop restraining myself, or else my stories can't go over 1k words.

Thanks for all the reviews, guys!

And as always, requests are always welcome c:

Love you all, and see you next chapter!


	15. Nursing Duty, CR and Maria

A request by Storm Uchiha, who asked for CR getting sick, and then having someone random help him. I wasn't sure if by random you meant "that one guy with the funny shirt" or "roll the dice and deal with it", so I went with the second option.

I rolled the dice and got a pretty 2, which means it's Maria.

**You are awful at this.**

**I know.**

* * *

It's a day that starts like any other: the sun rises, and the birds chirp, and the wind blows. People who dedicate their life to save the other's are slowly arriving at the hospital, if they weren't already there to begin with. But just because the day starts as always doesn't mean something different is not going to happen.

CR-S01 is headed to the meeting room. Since he woke this morning he hasn't been feeling good, and on his way to his destination, he's feeling way more tired than he should. The chief's speech during the conference is occasionally interrupted by a sniffing sound, and by the sixth time or so, Maria snaps and throws a box of tissues at the convict, who fails to catch it and receives it right on the nose. He whimpers weakly and for the rest of the time, he tries to blow his nose as quietly as possible.

-Day 1-

He is deemed too sick to perform surgery, and considering the condition of the cell he lives in, the young surgeon uses the break room to rest until he gets better. His four coworkers relay to watch over him, but since Maria is the one with the least work, she is assigned to watching duty most of the time. There really isn't much to do, other than occasionally giving him water and making sure there are enough tissues. He tries to stand up, but he's promptly stopped.

"Hey, you aren't going anywhere like that!" chastises Maria, and with a light pressure of her hand on her chest, lays him back against the bed.

"But I can't just stop helping them. It's just a cold, it won't affect me on th-" CR is cut off before he can finish the phrase by Maria applying more pressure with her hand. He tries to struggle meekly but doesn't achieve anything.

"You can't even stand up, you idiot, do you really think you can perform a surgery without killing the patient?" and she has a point, and from then on he doesn't argue with her.

-Day 2-

The surgeon is woken up by harsh sunlight piercing through his closed eyelids, and struggles to move his arm so he can cover his eyes. Efforts to fall asleep are ruined however, as a minute later Maria kicks the break room door open, a glass of water in a hand and painkillers in the other.

"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty! How are you feeling on this fine day?"

The only answer the paramedic gets is a slight shuffle on the couch the surgeon sleeps on and a muffled groan.

"Here, I got you some painkillers" she says cheerily, and she grins when the young man takes them. "But really, how are you feeling?"

"Not better. My throat is sore and my nose is stuffed." He's only stating the obvious, but, hey, she asked. When he turns to where Maria should be, she is gone, and when she once again kicks the door open, she's holding a bottle and a spoon. She sits next to the convict, and, uncapping the bottle, pours some of the syrup in the spoon.

"C'mon, open up!"

"This is childish; I am _not_ goi-"once again he's cut off. "Do you want to perform surgery again or stay here longer?"

"…fine." He reluctantly opens his mouth and lets the young woman administer the foul-tasting syrup. He cringes, and lets himself fall back.

"There. It wasn't so difficult. Hopefully you'll be back on your feet by tomorrow!"

"Right" he doesn't feel very confident, considering who is "nursing" him. For all he knows, he shouldn't have taken that syrup. "Thank you for taking care of me" he says anyways; she deserves credit for not breaking his neck from his constant sniffling. She seems surprised by the gratefulness, whipping her head to look at him. "It was… uh, it was nothing, really!" she smiles sheepishly.

"But you are the worst nurse I've ever had" he admits, and he almost expects her to explode and make him regret it. "Yeah well, I'm not trained to do these kinds of things, y'know. I'm not a nurse, I'm a paramedic! It's not at all the same thing" and the way she says it, she almost kind of sounds hurt, which is pretty odd coming from her.

"Hey, still, you did well for someone who's never had training". At his words, Maria perks up and smiles proudly. "Thanks! I wasn't expecting a compliment from someone like you!"

The rest of the day flies by quickly as they idly discuss of various things.

-Day 3-

By the time he wakes up, CR-S01 feels much better, and he is able to stand up. His nose doesn't feel stuffed, and his body no longer aches. He walks to the door, and as soon as he opens it, he feels someone colliding forcefully into him, to the point he loses his balance. Whoever rammed into him catches him by his collar and quickly pulls him back on his feet.

"Hey! You're already up! Good to see you're better."

"Yes, thank you. Are there any patients that need surgery?" he asks, because really, he needs to catch up on the time lost.

"Huh, already thinking about that. Just go ask Gabe, he's in his office. I'm sure he has some charts for you".

And with that he quickly exits the room. Maria smiles to herself. Nursing him wasn't half bad, to be honest.

* * *

Haaah, another story done! Not too proud of it, but I hope it's what you asked. I personally think it should be funnier. Much funnier. I'll probably rewrite it at some point!

Requests are always open, no matter how odd they are!

Love you all, and see you next chapter!


	16. Scatterbrain, Darnell and Emma

Here, another request! It was requested by Superdude8, who gave me a lot of choices, but I eventually went with these two awkward nurses because there is just _so much potential with them_. They were born for this.

Also from now on, I'll write the names of the characters rather than just the numbers because of labelling reasons or something.

**If I wrote the dictionary, I'd put your picture next to the definition of the word "clueless"**

* * *

The operation room is buzzing with the sound of busy people clearing up; the surgery went fine, and even better than expected, and it's with a collective sigh of relief everyone gets ready to leave. Emma and Darnell are among the last to leave, and when they are finally ready to go, after cleaning everything up and checking one last time on the patient, the hospital's halls are quiet. Everyone is back to their respective office.

It's a good time to break the ice.

"Hey, Emma…" Darnell starts.

"Huh, yes? What is it?"

"Since our shift's over and all, would you like to come to dinner with me?" She turns to look at him, her brown eyes wide, and she smiles gratefully at the invitation.

"Of course I'd like to!" and with that, both of them agree to a place and time to meet. When they part ways, it's with a reassured sigh Darnell thinks to himself that this time, she won't be bringing any company.

The place they went at to eat isn't really what one would call "fancy", but it's the least he can do so it doesn't look like it's a date because it _isn't_ one. He really isn't into those odd, one-sided fantasies, and when he feels comfortable and confident, he'll say it, word for word, _do you want to go on a date with me_ and she'll give him an answer.

Once they're seated and they've ordered what they'll be eating, Emma speaks up.

"Say, why did you become a nurse? You're the first guy I've met who's a nurse" she asks rather innocently. She doesn't mean ill by it, but Darnell is surprised none the less. It's not a question he expects _her_ to ask. She seems more like the type to ask people if they'd like to see a picture of her cat (does she even own one?). "Is it because you wanted to work with lots of girls?" a question that is followed by Darnell's unceremoniously outraged half-cough-half-choke. That sounds more like her. Still, he has to physically and mentally restrain himself from jumping from his chair and yell "_preposterous!"_ because of the claim. He is nowhere as shallow as that, and it's insulting to assume he is. After snapping himself out of his inner conflict, he settles for a simple explanation.

"I initially wanted to study to become a full-fledged doctor, but the responsibility and the stress scared me away from it. Being a nurse is the closest I can get to being a doctor." She looks up to him with a baffled expression on her fair face.

"No way! The stress scared _you_ off? But, you have nerves of iron (_it's nerves of steel_, he points out at that part), I mean, how could something discourage you like that?" The admiration and bewilderment in her voice are flattering, and he can't help but think this is one of her most endearing traits. She truly holds him in high esteem.

"And what about you? Why did you become a nurse?" he asks; it's only fair. She smiles, as she probably did expect the question.

"It's not a very interesting story. I just wanted to help people. I prefer taking care of the patients before and after operations though. I always feel sick staring at open bodies." Well, it's a noble cause nonetheless, he gives her that. At that moment the meals arrive, and they start eating. Emma is chattering away, a rather one-sided conversation, though it's not unpleasant. He nods from time to time, adding an "uh-huh" or a "really?" here and there to signal he's still listening to what she says. Darnell truly wonders why he fell for her; she's not the most beautiful woman he's met, but her face has a sort of reassuring expression to it. Her big brown eyes are full of life, and they seem to light up whenever she's happy. Character-wise, he used to know girls who were somewhat like her and, truth to be told, he couldn't stand being with them. He constantly has to chastise Emma of her childish behaviour, and she gets distracted easily. He can't bring himself to dislike her, however, and the more he thinks, the more he confuses himself. Let's just stop thinking about all of that. Love is not a logical thing.

Emma is the last to finish because she was constantly talking, but neither of them minds sitting a while longer. When she's done, Darnell helps her up in a very gentlemanly manner, and opens the passenger side door of his car for her. He drives her home (_you have to turn here and- oops, wrong turn, sorry!_) and he walks her to the door of her house. It takes her a couple of tries to unlock her door because she uses the wrong keys, and Darnell can't help but notice the sheer amount of key chains; all of the cute variety, with little cats, cupcakes with faces and whatnot. A quiet clicking noise signals her success at beating the locking mechanism of the door, and she calls his name. He turns to look at her, and before he has any time to react, she stands on her tiptoes and quickly pecks his lips; it's not a kiss per say, but close enough. Completely confused, he stands there for a full minute, after she has closed the door giggling, her words of goodbye being "thanks for the date!" "It's not a date" he begins, but by now he's talking to the door. He sighs; _she's not as clueless as she seems._

* * *

How do I love story guys.

These two though. I have no words. Also, thank you all for the reviews!

On another note, I ordered Trauma Center: Second Opinion, and I was thinking, maybe I could extend the characters to those of that game as well? I mean, As a Team could basically become a huge depot of one-shots from the different games. I've also finished New Blood with a friend, so I could add _even more characters!_ The possibilities are limitless! As soon as I finish Second Opinion I'll come back on this, and I'll take requests for more characters.

Fun fact: I only have one save file in Trauma Team, and I'm at 99:59:59, though I've probably played a _lot_ more than that. Hahahah I am pathetic.

I went to make myself some coffee while listening to the news. Turns out there's a disease killing people in a city in the same province and people can't seem to find where it originated from. Oh joy, it's not like the Trauma Center series helped me with that.

Love you all, and see you next chapter guys! Stay as lovely as you are now!


	17. Important note

I sort of began running out of creative juices (so soon!) so updates might be sparse for a while until I manage to kick my brain into high gears. I'll try to write as often as I can, but I can't promise very regular submissions; I also have a social life that's been busy lately (and I'm not complaining) so I spend a lot of time doing something else other than writing. Don't worry however, this story is not dead! It shall live oooon!


	18. Cross the Desert, everyone

Guess who's back for now! I am!

I have a terrible, shameful confession.

…I love AUs. Especially the ones set in a fantasy setting.

**Did you know "Sahara" means desert?**

* * *

"I think we've done enough progress for today" speaks up a masculine voice, settling his sword in the warm sand.

His friends let out a collective sigh, and everyone prepares for a freezing night in the merciless desert. Tents are pitched, and a fire is lit to ensure warmth, light and cooked food. The shapes of six people are reunited around the campfire; the outline the light creates easily distinguishing them from one another.

"How much time until we finally make it out of here?" asks a young lady clad in a light pink robe, the bottom hem of which is covered in drawings of diverse beasts that could only be described as chimerical. She bears no weapon to speak of, but she does have a huge leather-bound book seemingly written in a foreign language. A gigantic white tiger lays behind her, acting almost like a giant pillow, its paws encircling the young woman in a protective manner.

"I hope not much, because I'm seriously getting annoyed of the heat. Can't say I'll miss the giant sandworms either, but I must admit they really put up a good fight!" The last statement is punctuated by an enthusiastic fist thrown in the air, belonging to yet another young woman. Her garments consist of a sleeveless shirt slightly torn at the hem, long pants tied at the ankle with bandages, and a yellow band on her forehead. She has no weapon either, but the heavy boots she wears and the brass knuckles are proof enough she needs no sword to hold her own.

"We've been slowing down a bit these last few days; since we've been so busy fighting, progress hasn't been significant. We really need to hurry, our rations are coming rather low, truth be told, especially water. At most, Tomoe and Maria, I give us four days if we hurry. I suggest we really pick up the pace, else we're going to be in trouble". The man who spoke is older than most others, but he is still in a good enough shape to swing around a large, person-sized sword. He is covered in heavy metal armour, ornate with complex patterns, although he does remove it once he finishes his answer. It's obvious the heat of the desert penetrate the steel, even if he is careful and covers it with special oil so the heated metal doesn't burn him.

All the while, a giant man dressed in a white robe is tending to everyone; deserts are after all hostile lands, and fights are not uncommon. His healing magic does wonders however, and bloody wounds, bruises and punctured skin are quickly sealed, healed and soon enough, nothing but faint scars from the biggest wounds are left. He doesn't seem fit for his job given his stature, but some offensive spells make up his arsenal should the need to join in active battle arise.

Sitting quietly in the corner is another woman; she appears older than the other two, though she probably looks younger than she really is. She is dressed in a short, black robe that takes an interesting plunge at the collar, to reveal a piece of red and black cloth tied around her neck, much like a scarf but not quite one. A silver belt is looped around her waist, and against it are tied a few pouches. She wears high, fur-hemmed black boots, and atop her head lays a pointed had with an absurdly big hem. Yet another belt loops around the base of the pointed hat, and a moon-shaped pin is sewn against it. By her side sits a young man. He is dressed in almost comical attire, reminiscent of the one worn by red mages; except the fabric of his is made up of various shades of blue. A long, thin fencing sword is securely contained in a leather sheath tied to his belt. His has bears two long, thin feathers, both white. He sits close to the woman, and one could easily arrive to the conclusion they are at least well acquainted to each other.

Soon everyone retreats to their personal tents, seeing how the next day will be a long and arduous one.

Everyone wakes up early, before the sun even begins rising and the heat impedes their progress. The air at this time is fresh and almost acceptable, though the wind is blowing and sand is flying in the group members' eyes. Fortunately they have cloths to cover their mouths, and once everything is picked up, the white mage, Hank, loads everything on his back, as the weight poses him no problem. The group walks quietly, stopping whenever the harsh wind stirs up a pseudo-sandstorm, and everyone walks close to each other, so they can support each other whenever the sand becomes too difficult to tread on properly. The sun slowly rises at the horizon, and it's not long before the air heats up, the sand becoming unbearably hot.

Just as the day becomes promising progress-wise, a large shadow suddenly obscures the sun in front of the group, and a silhouette is clearly cut; it appears to be a giant vulture of some sort, its head not covered in skin or feathers, but rather a skull with glowing red eyes. In fact, the skin seems to be completely missing, revealing the beast's muscular and skeletal structure. It doesn't take any more than that for everyone to go into position; Hank drops the equipment he was carrying, both Gabriel and Navel ready their swords, Naomi already weaves spells to throw at the creature, Tomoe commands her tiger to prepare for action, and Maria is already jumping in place, ready to deliver her deadly kicks.

"Everyone! We need to take that bird down and bring it to the ground, we can't attack if it's flying!" announces Tomoe. "Go, Hanzou!" The tiger bounces, but he is not nearly heavy enough to weigh the vulture down, although he does manage do hurt it at the flank. "Naomi, try to damage or restrain its wings so it can't use them!" proposes Navel, and no sooner does the black mage throws fiery arrows at the bird. It doesn't seem affected at all, however, and shakes them off like it's nothing. It begins circling them and, after two turns, suddenly screeches and spread its wings wide open. Boney spines are thrown around, and Hank just has the time to cast a defensive spell on everyone to at least reduce the damage done to those who are touched. "Fire doesn't seem to affect it at all" sighs Naomi. "Little Guy, help me here, try freezing its wings!" They now both throw icy wind at the creature's appendage, and they freeze at the base; the sudden impediment prevents it from properly flapping its wings, and it falls to the ground with a heavy thud. It begins flailing around, however, and a heavy cloud of dust is lifted in the air. Nonetheless, Hank's aero spell manages to dispel the dust, and the relentless assault on the beast continues. Hank slightly hunches his back at Maria's cue, and she takes a running start before using him as a step to launch herself in the air. She aims directly at the bird's face to kick off its skull, but the ice on its wings has melted, and it slaps Maria midair. She is promptly caught by Gabriel, and he lets her on the ground. "Try attacking its wings before it takes off again!" commands Gabriel, and everyone is on it. The feathers are slashed by sharp blades of wind, torn and cut by swords, burned by thunder and even trampled on, until the beast's wings hang limply at its side. Its sharp beak and talons are still free, however, and Navel is not quick enough to avoid a peck to his side, nor is Tomoe fast enough to move out of the beast's claws' way, and is wounded at the arm; Hank is quick to heal them both, but the pain remains. Maria once again jumps at the vulture, this time using Tomoe's tiger as a step, and just as Gabriel slashes one of the vulture's legs off, she kicks its lower beak. The bone shatters and breaks and the undead bird screeches in pain and anger. Unable to take off, to escape or to even properly attack, it begins a sort of frantic, desperate series of convulsions, and while everyone is still lashing out at it, it still has enough vigour to protest. Even with one eye punctured by Navel's sword, burns to its internal organ from a chain-lightning spell or even fractured bones from Maria's and Gabriel's relentless assault, it still won't die. Finally, when its long neck is laid bare on the sand, finally in reach, Gabriel severs the head off its owner, and the convulsions stop. The sand is painted dark red and black from the bird's blood, bone fragments scattered around the sand like serrated teeth. There isn't much to loot from it either, but at least it's gone. "Woah that was the first time I saw one of those! What even are those things?!" Maria speaks up first. "I don't know, but now that it's out of the way, it's better if we carry on. Scavengers won't take long to pick up the scent, and one fight is more than enough" finishes Gabriel, and with that, Hank quickly heals the wounded before picking up their equipment. The party resumes their travel though this time they talk a bit among themselves, congratulating and complimenting each other for a battle well fought.

"Alright, let's settle down, everyone! This place is perfect. From that rock there, we'll be able to see where we are tomorrow morning. I think we made a lot of progress today, even with that giant bird thing in the way. Let's get ready to sleep so we can get up early."

"Alright, Gabe. Let me unpack our stuff first, I'll take care of the tents" proposes Hank. "Let me help you, it'll go faster if we're two." "Awesome, thanks Gabe!"

"Tomoe, why don't you cook tonight? You make the best food!""Haha, thank you Maria! I don't mind preparing dinner. But I want you to watch me, you really need to learn to cook by yourself." "Aaaah but cooking is _boring_! Can't it be more awesome?" "Here, why don't you cut up the vegetable? You love cutting up things, right?" "Can I punch them instead?" "No."

"Sooo… it looks like it's just the two of us now Nao-""No. Go help the girls.""Aw come on…" "Do I have to repeat myself?" "Fine." With a sigh, he stands up and goes over to the girls, taking over the task of actually cutting the vegetables rather than punching them.

"Hanzou, what is it? Are there enemies nearby? Are we under attack?" Tomoe asks as the fierce tiger rises on its feet, snarling, and stands at the edge of the circle of light made by the fire. At least a dozen pairs of yellow eyes are positioned around the camp, probably belonging to a pack of desert beasts.

"We can't fight here, we risk damaging our stuff. We need to drive them away. Be careful not to anger them, or they'll attack us. Back down slowly, and be careful".

"Right, Gabriel".

The group, although circled, slowly makes its way closer to the fire. The raptor-like creature approach, some going as far as to poke their head inside the circle of light. However, a light breeze picks up and cinders are thrown in the air, before some of the pieces of the wood used to light the fire somehow escape the flames. One of the flaming pieces stops by a reptile's feet, and, not knowing any better, it closes its jaws around the fire. The flame burns its mouth and letting out a startled yelp, jumps towards the group. Alerted from the brutal shock, the raptors all jump in to attack, clawing and biting anything in their way. It's a terrible mess, and the group can't hope to settle it down with all their tents unscathed. The light sound of an arrow piercing the air can be heard however, and a raptor falls limp as an arrow pierces its throat from one side to the other. Several other arrows follow, and before long half a dozen raptors lay on the sandy ground, while the others escape into the night.

"Maria, look! There's someone on that rock!" Shouts out Tomoe, pointing in the general direction from which the arrows came.

"Heeey! Can you hear me? Thanks for the help!" she shouts in response to Tomoe's statement.

The shadow jumps off the rock in one swift move, and a second later it's approaching the camp. From a distance it's difficult to make out whether the newcomer is a man or a woman, and once the mysterious person is clear into view, the group has no answer to their question, as their saviour's face is covered in a mask. In fact, not a single inch of skin is visible.

"…it's no problem."

From the voice, however, it's not hard to tell it is in fact a young man. He wears rather elegant attire, mostly red and white in colour. A red, long-sleeved dress shirt adorned with white designs on it, white cloves, dark red pants with designs on the hems, a white belt on which are clipped three fluffy red-fox tails and white (although dirty) boots. The mask he wears is shaped like a red fox's head, and through the eye holes, one can see two eerily red eyes staring back at them. On his shoulders is a white hood, which is securely clipped against the mask to ensure the wind doesn't blow it off. A heavy white cloak acts as a final layer of clothing, ensuring protection as well as a sort of mysterious look. He is holding a large bow, and a quiver is tied to his back.

He quietly walks around the camp, retrieving the arrows that didn't break, and just as the stranger is about to leave, Hank calls him out.

"Say, why don't you stay with us? Since you helped us, it's only fair we return the favour. We're traveling across the desert, and there's no more than three days of walk."

"Alright. I'll go get my stuff, I have my own rations."

"Wow, mysterious dude, isn't he, Naomi?"

"Yes indeed."

Not much later, the newcomer unfolds his tent, installing himself a bit afar from the others, but still close enough to be deemed safe. He retreats without much of a word, bidding everyone a quick goodnight, and he shows no intention of removing his mask.

Later, when everyone is asleep, Hank softly calls out Gabriel.

"Do you think we can trust him? He seems a bit odd to me."

"Yeah, I think we can. He could've easily attacked us from afar. He looks like he isn't used to being with others, or maybe he's hiding from someone? Who knows? Besides, he'll probably part ways with us once we reach our destination."

"Alright. You're probably the best among us to judge, so I'll trust your word, Gabe."

"Of course. Good night, now. We still have three days to go."

"Good night."

* * *

How do I end stories?

Yesss AUs.

Well, that's it for now folks! Somehow, the heat is making it easier to write.

Oh, that's right! I finished my very first year of college, and now I'm on vacation. I'll prolly be writing some more in the next couple months.

I still love you guys!

See you!


	19. Card Tricks, Naomi and Little Guy

Yo guys! I'd rather be drawing right now but I can't quite be bothered to do it right now, so have a short story instead!  
I love magic tricks! Quickest way to my heart, I tell you guys (just after food of course).

**So, do you believe in magic?**  
**No, not particularly.**

* * *

Naomi is sitting at her computer, fingers dancing rhythmically on the keyboard as she writes up the report of the clues and evidences she gathered during today's research. She stops for a second, resting her face in her hands. She technically shouldn't be writing that report, but it's better to get it done before, and, besides, she prefers the way she does; it's easier to understand when she comes back to them. She stands, walks to the door of her office and peeks out the hallway to go get some water, lest she gets a headache. The hallway is dark, save for a few neon still buzzing loudly in the quiet and peace of an almost empty building.

There's a drinking fountain not to far, and once she refreshed herself, Naomi walks back to her office, the noise of her heels muffled by the carpet. She finishes her report quickly, saving the file and preparing to leave, and just as she gathers her things, a knock on her door surprises her. She's not sure who would be there this late, and just as a precaution, she picks up a pair of scissors from a drawer on her desk; she has to be careful.

Noami quickly and quietly reaches the door, clutching the scissors in one hand and slowly turning the knob with the other. Just as she opens the door, she's greeted by a familiar face, and her shoulders relax imperceptibly; she didn't even notice how tense she was.

"Agent."  
"Hey, Miss Kimishima. I was about to leave, and I noticed the light of your office was still on, so I thought I could pay you a visit" her partner says cheerily. "That's nice of you, but I was just about to leave" she tells him.  
"Hang on, I wanted to show you some stuff!" he adds before she can leave through the door.  
"Is that so? Go ahead then, but hurry it up"  
"Well I want to ask first, do you believe in magic?"  
Naomi briefly turns the question around in her mind, and her hand is drawn to the cellphone in her pocket. She clutches it absent-mindedly, and answers.  
"Not really, why?"  
Little Guy seems a bit disappointed, but he carries on.  
"I guess I should've expected that answer from you..." he says sheepishly, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. "Still, not matter! I mean, you spend your days either on crime scenes or cooped up in an office, so let me try something."

He proceeds to pull out a pack of cards out of his pocket, and once he gets the playing cards, he shuffles them for a good minute.  
"Little Guy, I know this trick, you just tur-" Naomi begins, only to be interrupted by a "tsk tsk tsk" from the man. She glares at him, but he just carries on his shuffling. Once he's satisfied, he fans out the cards, and predictably asks Naomi to pick one. She humors him, and after picking a card, the 8 of diamond, returns in the pile. Her partner shuffles them again, and, after searching, pulls up the 8 of diamond. He's clearly proud of himself, and just as Naomi thanks him for the little trick, he stops her once more.  
"Wait, that's not all! I've got mo- wait, what's that?" he reaches out for Naomi's face with his right hand, veers to the side and pulls out a piece of candy from behind her ear. "Hey, I never knew you had a sweet tooth!" he gives her the fruit-flavored candy, and Little Guy smirks at Naomi's baffled face. She clearly wasn't expecting it, and once she sees her partner's face, she can't help but smile a bit. "All right, that one was good" she concedes.  
"I guess I held you up long enough, I'd better let you go now".  
He reaches for the door, and then Naomi notices something inside Little Guy's sleeve.  
"Agent, is that a handkerchief in your sleeve?"  
"Oh? Oh, I didn't even notice!"  
He reaches out to pull the piece of fabric out, only to have it followed by a yellow one, a blue one, red, green, purple, there is not a single colour that's not there. A minute later there is a heap of rainbow fabric on the floor, and as Naomi wonders how it is physically possible, Little Guy's serious face melts into one of amusement, and he then starts laughing out loud. Naomi is still baffled; she lied earlier when she said she didn't believe in magic, really, but this is just absurd.  
"What next, are you going to pull a rabbit out of your pocket?" she asks bewildered.  
"Perhaps" he answers in an attempt to sound mysterious, but fails miserably as he wipes out tears from his eyes from laughing so much.  
Naomi simply pulls him out of her office by the tie, closing the door behind him.

* * *

Did you say magic tricks?

Been a bit busy lately, been a bit demotivated to do anything but play games and watch series! I guess it's just easier.  
I finished Dragon Age 2 and oh man that made me feel terrible. It's a good game but you just _can't win_!  
Also, a new one from me, I began actually watching anime series. I'm not a big fan Japanese animations, but I can't deny some good stuff came out recently!  
The swimming anime is pretty neat, I mean it looks typical as hell but hey, half naked men is a good change from the usually male-oriented fanservice, am I right?  
I also began watching SnK in secret because I don't want my friends to find out and...? It's unfair? That anime has such amazing animation, but holy crap this series is disgustingly good to say the least. I'm not sure I want to see how it ends.  
Finally there's also the Dangan Rompa anime, which I was told was made by the same people who made P4: The Animation. I am expecting dubious quality there hahah I still love you guys, and keep throwing them ideas!


	20. Memento Mori, Claire and CR

I bet you either forgot about this, or just gave up any hope of it ever being updated! I'm truly, sincerely sorry. Life caught up, and I have to admit, I did forget about it. Odd thing, considering I have this folder on my desktop meaningfully named to remind me of its existence!

I got a request for some interaction between CR-S01 and Claire in the gardens. Let's get this started!

**I think white is the colour of death.**

* * *

It's a day like any other, except for once, the nurse finally decides to let Claire out to walk a bit. It`s really nice and dandy to carry herself lamely through the halls, but a breath of fresh air that isn't coming from the window wouldn't hurt. From where she is, the window doesn't overlook the garden, and she has no idea it even exists. After all, it really came in existence while she was bedbound in the walls that make up her room, and no one bothered to tell Claire there's a nice place she can exercise her legs in.

She does eventually find it; the sudden splash of colour is almost an eyesore compared to the dull greens and greys of the parking lot, and she has to rub her eyes a bit before regaining her composure. She walks along the path that winds between the flowery patches, taking time to look at each and every one of them. There are even helpful little signs at the forefront of each flowerbed that indicates the species, Latin name, and how to take care of them. It`s probably to help the gardener, though it does give her something to do. She eventually comes across a figure crouching on the floor. From the angle, she can only distinguish a hat, blouse and one gloved hand, and for a moment she thinks the other person is a woman; until she turns and Claire realises it`s indeed a he. Claire recognises his features, she's seen him walk past her room a few times, and now it comes back to her; that surgeon is the man whom Hank helped taking care of the garden. It makes sense she'd find him here.

"Oh! I'm sorry, am I bothering you?" she asks politely, even though she doesn't want to.

"No." comes the curt response.

Ah, so he doesn't like talking. Still, her short walk through the garden did make her realise something.

"Say, I was walking through the garden and I noticed, why aren't there any black flowers?"

"Because black flowers aren't actually black. They're dark blue, red, or purple most of the time."

"Oh, I see. Alright." And with that, she takes her leave.

Clair asks Hank to change room, to be moved to a room where she can see the garden. She knows he won't say no, and by the next day, a single bland wall is accentuated from the splash of colours the garden is. From there, the delicate smell of the flowers drifts to her nose, and she feels infinitely better, the scent like a balm on a festering wound.

She often sees the surgeon among the flowers, and it occurs to her he probably spends all of his free time there. Occasionally someone else walks on the path, but because everyone is so busy and has other things to do, he is the only one who can really care for the flowers. Hank is also there, sometimes, clipping branches from the taller trees, or assisting the younger man with carrying heavy materials. One day, while she leans on the windowsill to better admire how the flowers were planted, she sees the surgeon, and she waved tentatively. He looks confused for a moment, but he returns the gesture hesitantly. Claire doesn't know why, but it makes her happy.

When Claire once again makes her way around the garden, she finds the surgeon sitting on the path, just looking at a patch of white flowers. She wants to call out to him, but it occurs to her she has no idea what his name is. She approaches him and gently taps on his shoulder. He gives a startled jump and turns to her, eyes wide and surprised. She giggles a bit and apologises, before looking at the badges on which the doctor's name is written. "CR-S01"? That's right; Hank told her he was a convict, and instead of a name, he had a number assigned to him.

"So, uh, CR-S01, what are you doing there?"

"I'm looking at the flowers. Isn't it obvious?"

"I know that. But _why_?"

"I just like looking at them. Flowers are much better than some people. They don't care about who you are. They're not scared of you if you are a convict. Your name is Claire, am I right?"

"Yeah, how did you- oh. I guess Hank told you. Any reason why you spend so much time looking at the white flowers? You don't tend to them any more than you do to any other flower."

"Because white is a pretty colour- or tone, should I say. It's the colour of life, is it not?" he asks as if it were evident.

Claire looks down at her black summer dress. It's like he's trying to imply something.

"And yet, I think you're wrong, doctor."

"Is that so?" there's something in his voice, like a challenge, but not quite. He's curious.

"A dead person's skin turns white and translucent. Their eyes go white, dull, not only when they're dead, but when they're blind, when they've lost their function. Bones, too, are white, when the skin and flesh has been cleaned off them. And, tell me, what does the "white light at the end of the tunnel" represent?"

CR-S01 stays quiet for a while. She's right. They've both seen the same things. People strewn across the floor, their skin pale in fear of a bullet or dead from a disease. Trembling bodies, terror wracking them as they count their minutes, hold their breath, all in the hopes of not seeing the fated light illuminating the end of the dark tunnel. The white of the bones, from terrible, self-inflicted injuries or peeking from the muscle opened to mend them. The sights are much the same, even if they were from two completely different situations.

They speak a little, and then walk to the hospital before parting ways. The next day, as Claire is reading "Alice in Wonderland", one of her favourite books, she looks out the window to see the young surgeon carefully painting some of the white roses in black. What an odd sight that is.

* * *

I have no idea what I just wrote either, but it did sound better in my head. Oops!

I was SO EAGER to expose my knowledge of the botanic world by saying "HAH black flowers don't exist" but apparently petunias CAN be a true black, and that shatters me completely because I grew up with a lie.

As usual I can't promise anything, but really I'm trying and I'll do my best to write more. I have more free times now and less work to do.

As always, stay cool peeps, I love you! Feel free to send me requests, for any characters from the games!

Maybe I could start another series like this one, but with another series of book/game/anime/etc? Tell me what you think.


End file.
